Cyprus

United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus

United Nations troops manning an observation post looking
across the MesaoriaCourtesy United Nations

United Nations (UN) troops were present on Cyprus
beginning
with the breakdown of the constitutional arrangements in
1964. The
original three-month UNFICYP mandate was extended,
initially at
three-month intervals and, after 1974, at six-month
intervals. Any
of the permanent members of the UN Security Council could
veto its
continuation, but none has ever done so. The Security
Council
repeatedly affirmed the original mandate and adopted a
number of
resolutions that required the force to perform additional
or
modified functions. The basic mandate called on UNFICYP to
operate
"in the interest of preserving international peace and
security, to
use its best efforts to prevent a recurrence of fighting
and, as
necessary, to contribute to the maintenance and
restoration of law
and order and a return to normal conditions."

The UNFICYP force level was maintained at about 4,500
from 1965
to 1968, and 3,500 from 1969 to 1972. Except for a
temporary
increase to 4,440 for a period after the 1974 fighting,
its size
gradually declined, reaching about 2,000 as of 1990.

Before 1974 UNFICYP troops were deployed throughout the
island,
between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot defense
positions.
Frequently UN soldiers acted as mediators to prevent minor
squabbles from leading to armed conflict. Only rarely was
force, or
even the threat of force, necessary in these efforts. In
1974,
however, UNFICYP was unable to prevent either the attack
against
Makarios or the Turkish intervention (operations that, in
any case,
exceeded both its mandate and its military preparedness.)
During
the fighting, though, UN troops took up positions at
Nicosia
International Airport, preventing either side from
capturing this
strategic location. UNFICYP also played an essential role
in the
exchange of prisoners. After the hostilities, all UN
personnel
moved back into the buffer zone between the Turkish and
Greek
Cypriot cease-fire lines.

Through a system of 146 observation posts, 54 of them
permanently manned, in addition to mobile and standing
patrols, the
buffer zone was kept under constant surveillance. A patrol
and
communications track running the entire length of the
buffer zone
was used for reconnaissance, monitoring of agricultural
activities
in the zone, resupply of observation posts, and rapid
reaction to
any incidents. Regular patrols were generally conducted in
Land
Rovers or similar vehicles. Armored scout cars formed a
reserve,
and British helicopters were also available if needed. In
1989 both
sides accepted a UNFICYP proposal to dismantle their
forward
military positions in Nicosia and cease patrolling in
three
sensitive areas of the city, to reduce the risk of
incidents.

In April 1989, command of UNFICYP was assumed by Major
General
Clive Milner of Canada. The head of each national
contingent in the
UN force was directly responsible to the UNFICYP
commander, as was
the chief of staff, who oversaw the headquarters staff and
the
various support units. Each national contingent operated
as a unit
in prescribed areas in the buffer zone; only at
headquarters did
personnel from different nations work together on a daily
basis. As
of 1990, Britain provided 742 soldiers, Canada 575,
Austria 410,
and Denmark 342. The Irish, Finnish, and Swedish
contingents had
been reduced to token numbers in 1973, 1977, and 1988,
respectively. The main British, Canadian, Austrian, and
Danish
units were organized as infantry battalions. All seven
participating countries supplied military police and
headquarters
personnel. In addition, Britain furnished a
nineteen-member scout
car squadron and most of the UNFICYP support units.
Austria and
Sweden supplied the thirty-five-member civilian police
contingent
under UNFICYP control.

Each contingent wore the standard uniform of its home
country,
although UNFICYP personnel wore distinctive blue headgear,
blue UN
sleeve emblems, and a variety of UN-issued accessories.
Each
contingent rotated its troops every six months, although a
small
number of staff personnel undertook longer tours of duty.
Salaries
were based on those in each contingent's home country and
were paid
by the home countries. The cost of maintaining UNFICYP
came to
about US$26 million in 1989, including operational
expenses,
transport, pay and allowances above what would have been
incurred
if contingents were serving at home, and salaries and
travel of
nonmilitary personnel. Funds for these expenses depended
entirely
on voluntary contributions by UN member states. These
contributions, however, had never been sufficient.
Reimbursement
claims of troop-contributing countries had been met only
to June
1980. The accumulated deficit was nearly US$175 million by
the
close of 1989.

UNFICYP personnel functioned in several capacities in
addition
to monitoring the cease-fire lines. They provided security
for
farmers from both Cypriot communities who lived and worked
within
the buffer zone. They visited Turkish Cypriots in the
south and
Greek Cypriots in the north to ensure their safety and
welfare, and
arranged temporary visits and reunions of relatives.
UNFICYP
commanders held meetings with commanders of the National
Guard and
of the Turkish forces as required, and meetings were held
with both
sides at the chief-of-staff level at regular intervals.
The
civilian police contingent of UNFICYP functioned as a
liaison
between the two communities' police forces and maintained
law and
order in the buffer zone.